Stripes Convenience Stores Bought Out by Dallas-Based Company

It was announced Monday morning that the company that owns nearly 600 Stripes stores in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma will be merging with a Dallas-based company.

Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., one of the largest oil and gas pipeline transport companies in the nation, will be buying out Susser Holdings for $1.8 billion. Currently, ETP owns the Sunoco chain of gas stations, and now they will be acquiring the Stripes chain.

Company officials said the plan is to grow the chain from what it currently is and merge the operations of the more than 5,000 Sunoco gas stations that operate mainly east of the Mississippi River. In Texas, Stripes sells 1.6 billion gallons of gasoline to motorists each year. That makes it the largest gasoline retailer in Texas.

What will change? Not much, according to Chip Bonner, vice president of Stripes.

"Our Stripes support center will remain in Corpus Christi, and it'll be the support center for the combined business," Bonner said. "Our company added 1,000 new jobs last year. It's expected to add 1,000 new jobs this year."

Perhaps the most important think to many Stripes customers is that the chain will continue to sell Laredo Taco Company food at the majority of their stores.